Self-opening can.



J. M. HOTHERSALL.

SELF OPENING CAN. APPLICATION men AUG. I5. 1915.

1 ,244, 6 1 O. Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

,1 nsirnn swa s PATENT onnrggi 1 JOHN M. I-IO'II-IERSALL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,

nssrenon TO AME I AN cA1\'r G01\IPA1\TY,Q0F1\TEW YORK, N. Y., A conro mrioir or NEwJERsEY.

SELF-OPENING oAN. H

Specification of'Lett ers Patent. Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

Application filed August 16, 1915. Serial No. 45,650.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. HOTHERSALL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self-Opening Cans, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to selfopening cans of the type frequently employed in the packaging of tobacco and the like and in which a soft closure is sealed to the open end of the body, a cover having a cutter being provided, said cutter serving to cut the soft closure about the center of the can when the cover is rotated in proper position.

A principal object of this invention is the provison of a cutter of new and improved form and arranged in improved manner on the cover.

Prior to my invention it has been generally the custom to provide a pair of slots in the cover in'which is secured a cutter having a cutting tooth extending down from one end. This arrangement has resulted in requiring considerable force in the operation of the cutter and in the formation of a more or less irregular and jagged cut. This invention aims to facilitate the operation of the cutter and to produce a clean and smooth out in severing the soft closure sheet already mentioned.

Another object of the invention is the accomplishment of these results without increasing the cost of manufacture of the finished package.

Other objects and advantages of the in vention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a selfopening can embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8 is a large perspective view of the cutter.

In order to illustrate my invention I have shown on the drawing a can body l closed at its top with the usual soft sheet metal closure 5. A slip cover 6 is provided'and this cover is slotted at 7 for the reception of a cutter. The slots 7 are widely spaced and of length approximating the width of the cutter. These slots extend in parallelism and hold the cutter in its cutting movement.

The cutter generally designated at 8 consists of an elongated strip curved to the arc of movement of the cutter and having its ends 9 disposed through the slots 7. The cutter is provided at substantially the center of its outer edge with a downwardly extendslot 7 and thereafter bent down to hold the cutter in place.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A cover for a self-opening can and a cutter carried thereby, said cutter comprising a strip engaged at its ends in said cover and having a cutting tooth extendingdownwardly from an edge of said strip.

2. A cover for a self-opening can comprising an elongated strip secured at its ends to said cover and having a cutting tooth extending downwardly from the center of a side edge of said strip.

3. A cover for a self-opening can prol substantially its longitudinal center.

vided with a pair of Widely spaced relaa cutting tooth projecting downwardly 1Q tively short slots and a cutting element therefrom.

secured at its ends in said slots and having Signed in the presence of two subscribing a cutting tooth.extending downwardly from Witnesses.

4:. A cover for self-opening cans provided JOHN HOTHERSALL' With Widely spaced slots and a cutter secured at its. ends inosaidf s1ots,said cutterv comprlsing an arcuately shaped strip With Signed:

W; D; FOSTER), ADOLPH E. J; HOERL;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

